Rapid and extensive SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection wave revealed by wastewater surveillance in Shenzhen following the lifting of a strict COVID-19 strategy

Li，Yinghui1; Du，Chen1; Lv，Ziquan1; Wang，Fuxiang2; Zhou，Liping3; Peng，Yuejing4; Li，Wending1; Fu，Yulin1; Song，Jiangteng5; Jia，Chunyan5; Zhang，Xin5; Liu，Mujun6; Wang，Zimiao6; Liu，Bin6; Yan，Shulan7; Yang，Yuxiang7; Li，Xueyun8; Zhang，Yong8; Yuan，Jianhui9; Xu，Shikuan9; Chen，Miaoling1; Shi，Xiaolu1; Peng，Bo1; Chen，Qiongcheng1; Qiu，Yaqun1; Wu，Shuang1; Jiang，Min1; Chen，Miaomei1; Tang，Jinzhen1; Wang，Lei1; Hu，Lulu1; Wei，Bincai10; Xia，Yu11; Ji，John S.12; Wan，Chengsong4; Lu，Hongzhou2; Zhang，Tong13; Zou，Xuan1; Fu，Songzhe14; Hu，Qinghua1

2024-11-01

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175235

Science of the Total Environment   影响因子和分区

0048-9697

1879-1026

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has emerged as a promising tool for monitoring the spread of COVID-19, as SARS-CoV-2 can be shed in the faeces of infected individuals, even in the absence of symptoms. This study aimed to optimize a prediction model for estimating COVID-19 infection rates based on SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in wastewater, and reveal the infection trends and variant diversification in Shenzhen, China following the lifting of a strict COVID-19 strategy. Faecal samples (n = 4337) from 1204 SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals hospitalized in a designated hospital were analysed to obtain Omicron variant-specific faecal shedding dynamics. Wastewater samples from 6 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and 9 pump stations, covering 3.55 million people, were monitored for SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations and variant abundance. We found that the viral load in wastewater increased rapidly in December 2022 in the two districts, demonstrating a sharp peak in COVID-19 infections in late-December 2022, mainly caused by Omicron subvariants BA.5.2.48 and BF.7.14. The prediction model, based on the mass balance between total viral load in wastewater and individual faecal viral shedding, revealed a surge in the cumulative infection rate from <0.1 % to over 70 % within three weeks after the strict COVID-19 strategy was lifted. Additionally, 39 cryptic SARS-CoV-2 variants were identified in wastewater, in addition to those detected through clinical surveillance. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of WBE in providing comprehensive and efficient assessments of COVID-19 infection rates and identifying cryptic variants, highlighting its potential for monitoring emerging pathogens with faecal shedding.

Cryptic SARS-CoV-2 variant Faecal viral shedding Infection rate SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant Wastewater surveillance

SCI ; EI

英语

通讯

ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY

2-s2.0-85200259089

Scopus

1.Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Shenzhen,China
2.Department of Infectious Diseases,Shenzhen Third People's Hospital,Second Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,China
3.Peking University Shenzhen Hospital,Shenzhen,China
4.BSL-3 Laboratory (Guangdong),Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research,School of Public Health,Southern Medical University,Guangzhou,China
5.Water Ecology and Environment Division,Shenzhen Ecology and Environment Bureau,Shenzhen,China
6.Futian District Water Authority,Shenzhen,China
7.Nanshan District Water Authority,Shenzhen,China
8.Futian District Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Shenzhen,China
9.Nanshan District Center for Disease Control and Prevention,Shenzhen,China
10.School of Public Health and Emergency Management,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,China
11.School of Environmental Science and Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,China
12.Vanke School of Public Health,Tsinghua University,Beijing,China
13.Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory,Center for Environmental Engineering Research,Department of Civil Engineering,The University of Hong Kong,Hong Kong
14.Key Laboratory of Resource Biology and Biotechnology in Western China,Ministry of Education,School of Medicine,Northwest University,Xi'an,China

Li，Yinghui,Du，Chen,Lv，Ziquan,et al. Rapid and extensive SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection wave revealed by wastewater surveillance in Shenzhen following the lifting of a strict COVID-19 strategy[J]. Science of the Total Environment,2024,949.

Li，Yinghui.,Du，Chen.,Lv，Ziquan.,Wang，Fuxiang.,Zhou，Liping.,...&Hu，Qinghua.(2024).Rapid and extensive SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection wave revealed by wastewater surveillance in Shenzhen following the lifting of a strict COVID-19 strategy.Science of the Total Environment,949.

Li，Yinghui,et al."Rapid and extensive SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection wave revealed by wastewater surveillance in Shenzhen following the lifting of a strict COVID-19 strategy".Science of the Total Environment 949(2024).